Shocking footage of teens crashing 'stolen' car amid crime spree: 'Slow the f*** down'
The terrifying video follows an outcry from residents and local authorities against the region's youth crime problem.
Dramatic footage has emerged of the moment an allegedly stolen car driven by a teenager crashed at high speed in Darwin, with confronting video showing a group of girls at first giggling and laughing with one another until the driver loses control, eventually striking a power pole and rolling.
The shocking footage has emerged amid an outcry from residents and local authorities against the region's youth crime problem, an issue reported not just in the Northern Territory, but also across large parts of country, particularly in regional areas.
Crime spree across Northern Territory
Last weekend alone saw a major spike in burglaries and break-ins across the territory. On Friday night, three children held up a couple at knifepoint and stole their car from a car park in Darwin's northern suburbs.
An elderly Alice Springs couple were allegedly robbed at knifepoint in their own home on Sunday, with four people in their 20s arrested hours later. In Darwin, police are investigating up to 20 reported unlawful entries, and four stolen vehicles are yet to be found.
Similar encounters have taken place in recent weeks all over the country and across various states, with authorities scrambling to find the answer.
Harrowing crash captured on video
In the dramatic video showing the teenage girls, which spans just over 20 seconds, viewers can see just how quickly the group's laughter turns to horrified screams. "Look at this c***t driving," one of the girls is heard saying, before she urges her companion to "slow down" a number of times.
"Slow the f***k down," she says repeatedly, before the screams turn to silence and the car seemingly crashes into a pole and rolls.
After the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the girls can then be heard talking softly among themselves and it looks as though the teen recording made her way out of the car, before the footage ends. It's believed the young women posted the video to their social media accounts.
Driver of crashed car taken to Darwin hospital
A Northern Territory Police spokesperson said officers were aware of the crash footage. "Northern Territory Police are aware of a video circulating of three female youths driving an allegedly stolen vehicle and crashing on Monday, March 11, at 11.00pm," a spokesperson told Yahoo News.
"[Police allege] three female youths stole a Mazda 3 from a residence in Stuart Park, before crashing it at the intersection of Trower Road and Nightcliff Road. The driver presented to the Royal Darwin Hospital for medical treatment.
"One offender was arrested and the other two were summonsed to appear before the court."
'No quick fix' to teen crime problem: NT Chief Minister
Last week, Northern Territory's Acting Police Commissioner Travis Wurst said the force's resources were stretched as a result of the steep increase in youth crime. "At times we are challenged by simultaneous commissions of crime in certain pockets of the NT, and that does stretch our resources," he said.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler said the government was working hard at addressing crime in the NT.
"There is no quick fix and don't let anybody tell you there is a quick fix around addressing these issues, it is constant hard work and perseverance," she said on Monday.
The number of violent offences committed by children in the territory has skyrocketed over the past four years, with nearly 2,000 violent offences by youths reported in the year to November 2023. These figures represent a 50 per cent rise on 2019-20.
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